1. Training Manual: The Basics of Financing Agriculture Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

2. Acknowledgement The Agriculture Finance Training Manual is part of AgriFin’s Agriculture Finance Training Tools. The Manual was developed by InternationaleProjekt Consult (ICP) GmbHas part of AgriFin’s technical advisory project for Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League (CamCCUL). Termsof Use Content from this manual may be used freely and copied accurately into other formats without prior permission, provided that proper attribution is given to the sources, and that content is not used for commercial purposes. Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

3. Session Overview Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

4. Content • Overview of Economic Trends • Financial Sector Structure • MFI Regulations and the Market • Overview of Financial Products offered Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

5. 1. Overview of Economic Trends • GDP growth: 3.5% on average for 2002-2007 • GDP distribution • 44% services • 19% agriculture • 19% manufacturing • 19.8m population (about 70% directly or indirectly involved in agriculture) • Cameroon is responsible for70% of agricultural exchanges in Central Africa • Rural population: 50% • Population living below the poverty line: 40% - Less than 4% farmers obtained formal agriculture credit in 2011 - Most MFIs focus purely on urban financing - Majority of ag financing is via government supported supply-side measures and credit subsidies Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

6. 2. Financial Sector Structure Structure: • Largest financial sector: Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) accounts for ~50% of regional financial assets • 11 commercial banks, mostly foreign owned, highly concentrated (3 hold 50% of sector assets, and 55% of deposits) • 2 government-owned specialised financial institutions • Over 656 microfinance institutions in 2000, and 490 MFIs in 2006 with around 850,000 clients/members • 1980s: banking crisis Characteristics: • Excess liquidity of financial institutions • Less than 5% of the population is banked • But many of these are under-banked: • only basic account types available • loans are only short-term Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

7. 3. MFI Regulations and the Market • 490 MFIs operate in Cameroon of which 52% operate in urban areas (as of 2006) • Estimated number of accounts: 1.5m • Category 1 MFIs: accept savings and extend loans only to their members • Category 2 MFIs: accept savings and extend loans to members and non-members • Category 3 MFIs: Extends loans to general public Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

8. 4. Overview of Financial Products offered Savings accounts: • Purpose: to save money over a longer period of time • Remuneration: interest rate Current accounts: • Purpose: transactional account (e.g., receive salary, money transfers, etc.) • Remuneration: very little or nothing Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends

9. For more resources please visit AgriFin’s website www.AgriFin.org We welcome your feedback to help us further refine these training materials. Please contact us at agrifin@worldbank.org. Module 1.4 | Financial Sector Trends